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BBC Radio 4

Tim Harford explains - and sometimes debunks - the numbers and statistics used in political debate, the news and everyday life.

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1,133 episodes
Updated Saturday

Episodes1133

Newest first

May 10, 2025 · 8 min
Warren Buffett’s brilliant bets
How retiring Berkshire Hathaway boss Warren Buffett made his money and made a point
May 5, 2025 · 15 min
Bonus episode: The Autism Curve
The first episode of a new BBC series investigating the steep rise in autism diagnoses.
May 3, 2025 · 9 min
Donald Trump: 100 days fact-check
Working out the reality behind President Trump’s claims on immigration, fentanyl and eggs
Apr 29, 2025 · 8 min
Are 80% of women really only attracted to 20% of men?
Dispelling an incel myth that featured in the Netflix drama Adolescence
Apr 19, 2025 · 8 min
The pioneers of proof
Professor Adam Kucharski on his new book, Proof: The Uncertain Science of Certainty
Apr 12, 2025 · 8 min
How much is a human life worth?
The Price of Life author Jenny Kleeman on the cost of making and taking a life
Apr 4, 2025 · 8 min
Trump tariffs: All about the deficits
Explaining the maths and economics of the US ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs
Apr 2, 2025 · 26 min
Is one in four people in the UK disabled?
Plus, what has Canada done to Donald Trump? Is Rachel Reeves chasing the model?
Mar 29, 2025 · 8 min
What’s Trump’s problem with Canada?
Does the US subsidise Canada $200 billion a year and why does Trump call them nasty?
Mar 26, 2025 · 28 min
Could a 2% wealth tax raise £24bn?
Plus, did trillions disappear from UK pensions? Why does the UK have a lot of old housing?
Mar 22, 2025 · 8 min
What are the chances of an asteroid hitting earth in 2032?
Why the likelihood of planetary impact changed as asteroid 2024 YR4 approached.
Mar 19, 2025 · 28 min
Why are more people claiming disability benefits?
Plus, UK v Russia on free speech and the collapse of the Labour Force Survey.
Mar 17, 2025 · 41 min
How did lockdown impact children?
Five years on, Tim Harford looks at the data on the effect of lockdown
Mar 15, 2025 · 8 min
What is an IQ map and can we trust them?
We investigate maps that suggest extremely low average IQs in developing countries
Mar 12, 2025 · 28 min
DOGE, apples and irregular migrants
Fact-checking government efficiency claims in the US.
Mar 8, 2025 · 8 min
Is there really $500bn of Rare Earths in Ukraine?
Trump wants access to Ukraine’s Rare Earth deposits.
Mar 5, 2025 · 28 min
Defence Spending, Rare Earths and Trunk Truths
The numbers behind Ukraine’s rare earth worth and the UK’s defence spending ambitions.
Mar 1, 2025 · 8 min
Has the US really given Ukraine more aid than Europe?
Donald Trump says the US has given Ukraine more aid than Europe - what does the data say?
Feb 22, 2025 · 8 min
Are 150 year olds getting social security payments?
Is this ‘the biggest fraud in the whole of history’?
Feb 15, 2025 · 8 min
Has the US sent $50 million worth of condoms to Gaza?
Are Hamas bombing Israel with condoms sent by the US?